New York closer to legalizing casinos

2013-02-21

Reading time 2:30 min

(US).- Governor Andrew Cuomo announced in his State of the State address this past January that he plans on building three casinos in upstate New York, saying the gaming centers would drive traffic to economically struggling areas. “You could argue that we should have a casino in New York City,” he said. “My plan is Upstate casinos are the best economic development opportunity for Upstate.”

Yet where the casinos will be built, who will build and operate them, and whether or not they will even be allowed to exist remain points of contention.

Governor Cuomo said last week that he’s open to allowing a casino in New York City or on Long Island if the state approves a new round of up to seven gambling halls.

The governor has been insistent on expanding casino gambling, discussing it last year in his last State of the State address and again in the wake of Sandy, arguing that the tax revenues from casinos will benefit the state in the long run..

New York Legislature wants to decide casino locations
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said that the Legislature should be able to play a role in choosing where casinos are located, and the decision should not be left solely to the governor’s new State Gaming Commission: “We want a method by which the Legislature has input into the determination as to where the casinos will be, what the timing will be on it,” Silver said to the Buffalo News.

The State Legislature passed a resolution to authorize casino gambling, but the bill passed last year is vague about where the casinos will go, who will decide on sites and how much companies that operate casinos might have to share with the state or local host communities. The governor wants the three initial casinos to be built upstate, out of a planned seven casinos.

City dismisses talk of a Willets Point casino
Willets Point, an industrial area near Citi Field in Queens, was rumored to have been a prime location for a casino in the city. The Bloomberg administration put an end to those rumors last Tuesday, insisting that there will never be a casino at the Willets Point area, where it hopes instead to develop new housing, shopping and entertainment venues. Better than a casino? Probably.

Seneca Indians Want Rochester Casino
While the Seneca Nation of Indians owes the state and local governments $572 million, it wants the Cuomo administration to make several concessions before it pays the money back, which include giving it casino development rights in downtown Rochester. The Senecas argue that the state should be penalized for permitting violations of their casino compact that gave them gambling exclusivity in Western New York by allowing banned forms of gambling in the area via racetrack casinos.

The Senecas also seek an extension of their current casino compact with the state for Western New York and restrictions on new gambling devices at three area racetrack-based casinos.

Bill to raise gambling age to 21 reintroduced
Two Queens legislators are reintroducing legislation that would raise the gambling age to 21 from 18. The lawmakers — State Senator Joe Addabbo and Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder — represent districts that include Resorts World Casino New York City at Aqueduct Racetrack, which is just four blocks from John Adams High School.

“Even if the state never gets full gaming, the gambling age needs to be raised to 21,” State Senator Joe Addabbo said. “We can’t have kids as young as 18 gambling away their money.”

The same bill was introduced last year but never came up for a vote. The legislators hope it will be considered this year with gambling high on on Mr. Cuomo’s agenda.